Fragments of the Heart
by Rinara
Summary: After looking at an old photograph, Robert Freeman remembers his horrible past in fragments. He lost his wife, but more importantly, he lost Huey and Riley's parents, too. He has trouble raising his grandchildren after moving them away from Chicago due to a terrible secret. Follow Robert as he recounts the events leading up to gaining custody of his grandkids. One-shot.


He runs his fingers slowly over the glossy frame. It feels especially cool beneath his index finger and thumb. The sleek, black frame glistens softly when he moves it slightly in the fading, autumn sunlight. The musky, warm weather of summer is finally fading, and soon, Robert Freeman would not have to complain so much. Beautiful rays of gold shine past the dusty curtains of his antique-looking window, and in his bedroom, he sits alone and thoughtful. Soon enough, the kids will be home from school, and what a pain that will be.

He silently groans at such a thought.

He could imagine Riley bursting through the front door, throwing his backpack on the floor and complaining about his teachers as he runs to the kitchen to snack on chips and soda. Forget homework—Riley would spend the rest of the evening on the couch like a lazy idiot watching stupid reality T.V. shows. Huey would follow Riley apathetically through the front door and simply drag himself up the staircase seeking nothing more than the solitude of his room—or, that is, whatever solitude he could find before Riley would somehow burst into the room he shared with his completely opposite brother.

And yet, Robert begins to smile softly at his imagination as he still rubs his wrinkled, tough fingers over the beautifully smooth and old picture frame. The picture the frame holds is special—the kind of special that leaves a pain in your chest from too much bitter emotions. He refuses to stare at it, and instead, he gently holds it with both of his hands, fearful it might break into a million pieces much like his heart did seven years ago when he lost her—his only daughter, his baby girl, his _everything_.

Suddenly, a crash is heard downstairs, and shortly after, the front door slams. The little demonic punks were home. Robert sighs. He remembers telling them one time when they were fighting with each other that he wanted to drown them in the bathtub, and sometimes, he could picture such a scene clearly. The act of tying both their little bodies and dumping them head first into boiling bathwater seemed like a natural thing to do. Robert imagined this situation more often than not, and sadly, he knew he could never go through with it. He loved those kids regardless if they were punks or not, and every time he stared into their eyes, he saw her.

Both Huey and Riley looked a lot like each other, but more importantly, they looked like her, too. The boys were not twins, of course, but they were an exact reflection of their mother. Their attitudes, however, were a reflection of that young, scumbag, semi-revolutionist, philosophical, untamable, and criminal husband of hers. He enjoyed thinking of his precious daughter's "husband" that way—as someone not good enough for his own flesh and blood. In fact, it was that way with all of his daughter's boyfriends. In Robert's eyes, no one could ever be good enough for his tall, slender yet well-formed daughter with her signature thick mane of dark brown curls and bright, golden eyes. Robert's daughter, Jane, looked exactly like her own mother, and so, Robert loved her with the same intensity as he did his wife. But Jane's "husband," the man she fell in love with in college and married at the age of twenty-two, was a completely different idiot than the rest of her suitors Robert managed to run off. This guy, no matter what, could never be forced away and wasn't slightly intimated by any of Robert's threats.

"_I'm not afraid of you, Robert,"_ his son-in-law would say. _"Don't think you can run me away like you did everyone else. I'm here to stay."_

Robert cringes every time he imagines that pathetic kid's voice in his mind, and he only hates him even more after everything that happened. Still, Robert has no earthly idea why his daughter was so taken with her fiancé who was a criminal nut and lived his life with some sort of carefree, "hippie" agenda. Ten years ago, Jane became engaged to her boyfriend, and Robert could never force himself to forget everything that happened.

* * *

_Robert remembers this event that happened ten years ago like it was yesterday …_

"Daddy!" Jane bursts through the front door of the averaged sized apartment, and by doing so, the door's hinges screech in agony.

The whole place was falling apart before Robert's eyes, and no matter what repairs were made, the door continued to squeak loudly. Perhaps, it was finally time to move out of the apartment and find an actual house in a decent place, but they never paid Robert enough for that type of expense at his job.

_Someday_, he thinks to himself as he listens to the door scream murder again when Jane slams it shut. _Someday, we'll live somewhere amazing_.

The smell of freshly cut celery lingers in the air, and Jane sighs at such a scent.

"Ooooh!" She swoons. "You're makin' soup!" She frolics over to the outdated, wooden counter of the run-down apartment and stares eagerly into the shiny, silver pot with boiling water on top of the beaten and overused stove.

On a worn cutting board, Robert continues to quickly cut celery and carrots without even turning to look at his beautiful daughter because in his mind, he could picture her perfectly. After seeing her grow up into a beautiful model, he knew exactly what Jane looked like. As she continued staring into the pot of half-prepared soup, Jane's olive brown skin glistens due to light sweat proudly formed during her ballet class at the local university, and her long rows of perky, chocolate-colored curls bounce with every jerk her head makes. Robert could imagine that her buttery and golden eyes were sparkling due to the burner's bright, open flame and its reflection into his daughter's precious gems.

_The girl's a beauty,_ Robert smiles softly at his highly accurate imagination. _That's for sure!_

Jane awkwardly clears her throat in a loud manner. Robert picks up on this and internally moans, already positive that his daughter was either in trouble or scared.

"What is it now, baby?" Robert asks calmly despite his heartbeat rising at an alarming rate. He knew that his daughter was acting way too bubbly from the moment she walked into the apartment.

"Well, Daddy … promise you won't get mad?" She awkwardly giggles, still trying to clear her throat.

Robert pauses, thinks about this question, and promptly chooses not to respond.

"Well—" Jane smiles widely but quickly tries to mask her excitement. "Well—you know my boyfriend, Huey, right?"

Robert's heart feels like it's about to stop beating. Of course, how could he forget that lunatic boyfriend? Jane, although beautiful and talented, had to be dating a complete scumbag by the name of Huey Rivers. This man acted like a complete and idiotic gangster who lived by some hippie agenda of peace for all or something like that. Robert never had enough patience to listen to whatever it was this Rivers kid would rant on and on about. The kid even went as far as being arrested for protesting something of his hippie agenda, and he was arrested a second time for trying to sell drugs and stealing or something. That Rivers kid was a complete contradiction to himself, but nonetheless, Robert truly did not care about all those problems. All that ever came to mind was one question: what did Jane ever see in such a lowlife like Huey?

Robert sighs.

"Well, he asked me to marry him," Jane claps proudly. "And I said yes!"

She quickly waves her left hand before Robert's face causing him to stop cutting vegetables, and on her ring finger, a whopping diamond sits uneasily on a thin, golden band. Robert sighs once more, but this time around, he sighs with an intense exaggeration. Maybe Jane would be smart enough to pick up on his complete disapproval of this news.

"Did he steal that ring, too?"

Jane frowns.

"Daddy!" She growls.

In reality, Jane was already old enough to make her own decisions. She was a twenty-two year old woman, and if Robert were to get mad at her, he would never hear the end of it from either Jane or his wife.

"What you want me to say? Congratulations?"

"I want you to be _happy_ for me …" Jane's normally sparkling eyes quickly fade as she looks away from the pot of soup. Her smile fades.

Robert groans. "I'm always happy for you, baby. It's just—you're gonna marry a criminal."

"Ohhh, Daddy," She playfully sighs. As long as her father was happy for her, that's all she needed. It didn't matter to her at all if Robert didn't like Huey. It is her choice, and she chooses to marry him someday. "He's not a criminal. Cut it out!"

She walks calmly to her room, still admiring the engagement ring on her finger.

"That nig—I mean, _boy_—is a criminal, for sure!" Robert yells but suddenly catches himself, fearful Jane would hear him call her new fiancé that word she hates so much.

Turning around to look at the cutting board and boiling pot of soup before him, Robert lost all passion to finish adding ingredients. In fact, he wasn't even sure he had the appetite to eat it anymore. The day he dreaded for twenty-two years had finally come and threatened to tear his family apart. Jane, his only daughter, was going to get married. Robert can still imagine her kinky curls bouncing and swaying in the wind as he would push her on the swing set of the local park many years ago. How did Jane grow up so fast?

His thin smile fades into a distinct frown when he whispers his new-found realization to himself, "He's a criminal for stealin' your heart away from me, cutie pie …"

* * *

Two years quickly pass before Robert had a chance to fully grasp the situation at hand. His daughter married the worst choice of a man she could possibly pick, and even worse, she was twenty-four years old and _pregnant_. A few days after her twenty-third birthday in two more weeks, she was supposed to go into labor. If Jane was lucky, the doctor would often say, her first child might even be born on her birthday.

But now, just two weeks before her due date, Jane lies awkwardly on the dirty, brown stained couch covered with pillows. Robert sits in a reclining chair just feet away from his daughter who could barely move, and this made him highly anxious.

"Aughh," Robert groans loudly. "When is that kid gonna pop out of you? You can't even sit down, anymore!"

Jane giggles, tightly holding her stomach. "Daddy, you can't rush this thing. Lil' Huey will come whenever he—"

"Little _what_?" Granddad rips his stare from the television screen. He locks eyes with his beautiful daughter whose usually bouncy hair had slightly drooped due to sweat. "You're gonna name the boy _what_?"

Jane sighs as she rubs her glittering forehead with a damp handkerchief. The pregnancy is taking a toll on her body, and she is running a slight fever.

"I'm gonna name him _Huey_, Daddy …" She was in no mood to argue right now.

"Girl, you must be crazy!" Robert's voice rises, causing Jane to stir uncomfortably on the couch. "Don't you wanna name your first born after your daddy? Can't you name this kid _Robert_ Rivers instead of _Huey_ Rivers?"

"But Huey's a good name …" Jane whispers, now rubbing away the sweat forming at the nape of her neck. "His father is named after Huey P. Ne—"

"Whatever," Robert quickly cuts off his daughter and is ashamed to think that his first grandson is going to carry the name of someone he absolutely hates.

Jane sighs. There is no point in arguing with her stubborn father. Robert, whether he wanted to or not, is going to be _forced_ to like his grandson's name.

And that's that.

* * *

Fast-forward three years and Robert's oldest grandson is also three years old. Jane recently had another boy exactly a year ago and found herself in complete trouble. Her three-year-old son was already taking a huge chunk out of her paycheck due to doctor check-ups, clothes, and food. The one-year-old, Riley, was constantly crying and would get sick with the slightest change in temperature outside. Tied for money, Jane began working three jobs, leaving Robert and her mother to babysit the kids during all her shifts.

"God—when's that kid gonna stop crying?" Robert rubs his face harshly as he tries to hear the afternoon news over Riley's screams from the other room.

Near the stove, Mrs. Freeman warms up a small portion of milk in a small pot on the stove. She stirs the milk quickly with a plastic spoon as she tries to get it to warm faster without boiling completely. Riley is still crying hysterically in the other room where his crib is located. Robert continues sulking in his recliner chair, and for a minute, he wonders if he could slap a one-year-old. In complete secrecy, Robert had already smacked his oldest grandson for being too rowdy when no one was around. Sitting next to him on the couch, Huey gladly keeps himself busy with his favorite coloring book and a new box of crayons. The young boy seems completely oblivious to his little brother's cries.

"Done!" Mrs. Freeman yells as she pours the milk into a bottle and runs towards Riley's room.

Robert stares vacantly at the television screen, hoping to God his grandkid would finally calm down.

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

"Augh," Robert slouches in his chair, too lazy to get up and answer the door. Whoever was knocking was just going to have to wait.

_Knock. Knock. Knock. _

"Augh, who is it?" He whispers to himself. "Just go away!"

_Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock._

The knocking on the door becomes more powerful, more intense. Robert senses urgency but slowly pulls himself off from the chair. He drags his legs to the ancient door he hated so much and quickly unlatches the lock. Robert swings the door open, angry that someone on the other side was being so troublesome.

Robert's mouth hangs open as he stares at his once glowing daughter on the other side of the door. The lower lid of her eyes had faded and turned into a dark purple. Her lips sag considerably at their edges. Jane looks thinner—duller. Her shoulders hang as if they were broken and drops of sweat run down her face, smudging all of her makeup in the process. Those brilliant curls she always had no longer existed. Her now straight hair hangs lifelessly past her shoulders. Everything about Jane screams death.

"Baby, what happened?" Robert asks, grabbing onto his daughter's shoulders and slightly dragging her past the doorway into the apartment. "Look at you—what happened to work?"

Jane tries to smile despite obvious pain. "I—I'm not feeling too hot right now, Daddy …"

"What happened?" Robert persists, still holding on to Jane tightly. She seems so fragile between his hands. He traces his hand against the skin of her arm and feels nothing but intense and unnatural warmth.

"I won't go to my third shift today. It's ok," Jane whispers, grasping onto Robert's shirt. "I'm just tired so I left early …"

"Girl, I told you not to lose weight! Look at you," Robert tries to poke Jane's stomach but comes across another fearful touch. Jane was completely flat. Robert was able to see her ribs protruding through her tight button-up shirt. Jane always wore loose clothes, but this tight shirt revealed her secret.

"I—what?" Jane asks. Her breathing becomes shorter, almost painful. "I haven't been tryin' to lose weight …"

Robert stares at his daughter—at her tiny body—and realizes he was a fool for never noticing how much weight she was losing. All this time, he thought Jane was trying to lose the weight she gained when carrying Riley, but her body now was completely unnatural.

"You're not losing weight?" Robert asks in disbelief. "Then why are you so thin, baby?"

Jane looks into her father's concerned eyes, unsure of what to say. Not even she had an answer to that question.

"It hurts—" She manages to cough out.

"What does, baby?" Robert still has a firm hold on Jane, fearful she might somehow collapse.

"Everything—"

Robert's prediction comes true. Jane collapses into his arms the moment she violently coughs. Robert struggles to keep Jane standing despite her unconsciousness, and he begins to yell for his wife to call an ambulance. In the other room, Riley's cries become louder and angrier. Robert looks anxiously around the living room and kitchen, hoping to see his wife appear any minute, but instead, he sees a young Huey staring at the limp and possibly lifeless body of his collapsed mother.

And in the midst of all this chaos and confusion, Huey Rivers was nowhere to be found.

* * *

"I'm sorry to break it to you, Mr. Freeman," the doctor whispers and is already depressed to see Mrs. Freeman sobbing wildly in a corner of the emergency room. "Like I already said, there is nothing I can do."

Robert shakes his head and runs his hands through his hair. He couldn't believe it. His only daughter—his baby—is dying.

"Chemotherapy will work, won't it?" Robert asks quickly, feeling hopeless about such questioning.

The doctor sighs. "No, it's too late. Had Jane come earlier, we would have caught the cancer sooner and treated her for it. The scans show she has been ignoring the symptoms for months on end, and that's strange considering this type of cancer is very painful."

Robert couldn't believe it. How could Jane be so reckless and ignore her pain?

The doctor walks away calmly, leaving the father of his dying patient breathless. Robert returns to the emergency room and finds his wife still crying. Her eyes begin to swell from the excess amount of tears. Next to his wife, Huey sit motionless in his seat. The chair, being far too big for him, makes him look even sadder, more helpless. He holds on tightly to baby Riley with his thin, childish arms, fearful of letting his little brother go. Seeing little Huey reminded Robert of an even bigger matter. He called his son-in-law thirty-two times to no avail. He kept reaching voicemail.

"Brother!"

Robert turns around quickly at the sound of a familiar voice. His sister, Cookie, walks through the entrance of the emergency room. Her usual smile is quickly replaced with a grimace upon seeing her sister-in-law and Robert's grandkids.

"When you called, I came as fast as I could!" Cookie embraces a shocked and pale Robert. "I'm so sorry—"

Robert grabs his sister by the arm and leads her away from his wife and grandkids so they could talk in peace. They walk over to a soda machine across the room.

"Don't feel sorry for me, girl," Robert whispers, feeling the eyes of his grandson staring at both him and Cookie. "I've been calling that nut husband of Jane's—that fool don't pick up!"

Cookie frowns and begins to look hesitant. "Uh, well—haven't you seen the news?"

"Not since the afternoon, why?" Robert lifts his sister's face up so she could stare into his eyes and not at the floor.

"Huey's been arrested, and he's goin' to prison," Cookie whispers, turning her head to look at the young child and baby right next by Robert's wife.

"What?" Robert's voice rises in anger. Of all times to get in trouble with the police, his criminal son-in-law chose today of all days. "Why? We need that fool _here_—with his kids!"

"Robert, hush now!" Cookie places a finger before her lips. "It's alright, hun!"

"Spit it out! Why is he in jail?"

"He was caught with prostitutes and was also convicted for shooting his former friend in the chest …" Cookie tears her gaze from Robert's face, and her eyes wander to the trashcan. The pain on Robert's face made her never want to open her mouth again. "They're lookin' at about seven to nine years in jail if his lawyer is lucky …"

It was never enough for this boy, was it? Robert's pale face flushes with red—how dare Huey Rivers cheat on a smart, talented, and beautiful girl like Jane? Rivers successfully stole his daughter away from him since her college years, and now, he had the audacity to throw her love away for some cheap, loose women? And who cares about the friend who got shot? That boy will survive and walk again someday. Jane is dying, and that fool of a husband she has was messing around with other women while she worked three jobs.

"That boy stole my baby girl from me, and now, I'll never get her back—" Robert chokes on his emotions and prevents tears from forming in his eyes. "She wasted so many years with that fool …"

Cookie embraces Robert tightly, and he begins to sob.

* * *

Exactly a year and a half after Jane's sudden death, more trouble was destroying the Freeman family—or, better yet, whatever was _left_ of the family. Huey Rivers was in jail for God knows how long, Jane died hours after arriving at the hospital that fateful day, and sadly, Mrs. Freeman had passed away a few weeks after her anniversary with Robert. Her cause of death is still being determined, but Robert doesn't need to know the reason. Sadness is the strongest emotion that can kill anyone, and Mrs. Freeman would cry for her lost daughter and son-in-law every day since both left.

Robert wished to die every day when he would wake up to the bright rays of sun peeking through the blinds, but such a wish could never be answered. He had grand kids now. Huey had barely turned four-years-old, and Riley, who spent most of his time at Cookie's home, was barely turning two. Robert had no idea how to care for a baby. So, he let his sister handle that job. Taking care of Huey was trouble enough. Soon enough, he would start school, and Riley, although two years younger, would soon join his big brother at elementary school. Both the kids would learn the foundations of reading and writing soon, and this sparked a new idea in Robert's highly imaginative mind.

As he pondered on what the kids would learn at school, Robert had a new idea in his mind, and he had to tell someone about it. Every time he stared at his grandson, Huey, this idea became more interesting. This young boy was growing up to look just like his mother. And, to be on the safe side, he also needed to check up on Riley, anyway. Robert quickly dials Cookie's number to inform her of this new idea and to check up on his baby grandson.

"Robert?" Cookie answers, sounding a little dazed. Riley's crying must have kept her occupied.

"How's the little punk?"

"Good, just—sick…" Her hesitation gives away her exhaustion. Riley was already a handful for a two-year-old.

"Stupid kid," Robert sighs. Riley's still sick, as usual. "Anyway, I've gotta tell you something."

Cookie clears her throat on the other end of the phone. This didn't sound good coming from Robert. She knew her brother was up to something suspicious.

"Now with that Rivers fool outta the picture," Robert smiles widely. "I can rename my grandkids!"

Cookie groans, and in the background, Riley begins to cry. "No, Robert. That's foolish!"

"Pssh," Robert mocks. "What do you know?"

"Don't you dare do it, Robert," Cookie's tone becomes suddenly dark, more serious. "You're robbin' that family name from them boys."

"Their _daddy_ ain't here taking care of them, is he now? I'm their legal guardian!" Robert snaps back. "They're keeping our family name—not some criminal scum's last name. I'm gonna raise them the _right_ way. The _Freeman_ way."

His sister sighs angrily, "You dumb—"

Robert quickly hangs up, effectively cutting off Cookie before she had the chance to call him names. This matter was already settled in his mind, and no one, not even his beloved little sister, was going to talk him out of it.

"Huey Rivers is a fool," Robert talks to himself. "My grandkids ain't fools."

Besides, it was only fair. Huey Rivers had already taken Jane. Robert wasn't going to let him steal his grandkids, too. It's bad enough the oldest one is already named after that scumbag. Robert didn't need or want a Huey Rivers Jr. running around, anyway. And with that realization, Robert legally changed his grandkids' last names just like he said he would. They are forever to be known as Huey and Riley Freeman—_not_ Huey and Riley Rivers.

And the best part about this change? His grandkids wouldn't even know the difference. They'll simply grow up in school writing their last name as "Freeman," and to Robert, that sounded like a great idea.

* * *

Six more years pass and Robert feels he has been given a clean slate. He faces retirement, and both grandkids under his custody were growing up quickly. Riley had been transferred over to Robert's care since the day he turned three, and thankfully, his crying stages were in the past. Six years later, Huey is now ten years old, and Riley is facing his eighth birthday in two weeks. Both boys, although cute to look at, were complete monsters in Robert's eyes.

They were considered monsters since the day they were born. Huey and Riley would fight with each other and with other kids at school. It didn't matter to Robert, though. Soon, the kids would grow up, get married, and move out. At least, that's what he was hoping for. He wasn't too sure about who'd want to marry the troublemakers. For starters, Huey was labeled as a domestic terrorist, and Riley—well, Riley was another story. He loved all the wrong things, and Robert feared his youngest grandson would become the same criminal Rivers was. Both boys may look like Jane, but they were far from everything she was. Jane was always a good girl.

Walking through the produce section of the local supermarket, Robert pushes the cart apathetically. The wheels are ridiculous and noisy. The cart's handle is filthy. Everything in the supermarket is outdated and falling apart. Still, a store is a store, and if Robert wants to feed himself and his grand kids, he has to put up with the lousy quality of everything.

Riley and Huey walk before the shopping cart, and Robert stares at them with an insane intensity. The moment he takes his eyes off of them, something bad was bound to happen. Riley was always a trouble maker since the day he was born.

"Brother!"

Robert and his grand kids turn around and immediately catch sight of Cookie. To Huey and Riley, they were always happy to see her. To Robert, he had never returned any of her calls since the awkward conversation they had on the phone about changing Riley and Huey's last name. He didn't have anything to tell his little sister anymore. Why did she keep calling, then? Robert didn't want to talk about his life since the loss of his daughter and wife. It was too much to bear.

"Ya'll kids run off, now." Cookie motions the grand kids away. "I need to talk to your Granddaddy!"

Huey shrugs his shoulders and shoves Riley away from the shopping cart.

Robert waits for them to leave before speaking. "Please. Don't mention Jane or my wife."

"I'm not here for that, fool!"

"Then, what?" Robert sighs, feeling uncomfortable about the whole awkward situation.

"I saw him—_Mr._ _Rivers_—the other day …" She whispers carefully as she tries not to grab Huey or Riley's attention. They were walking around the produce section, and Riley, being a trouble maker, began to throw tomatoes at passing customers. Granddad, too shocked to run after Riley and punish him, stands motionless as he stares into the dark, brooding, and hurt eyes of his sister. "He's outta jail already."

"And?" He finally asks, almost breathless from fear. What if Huey came back for the boys?

Cookie begins, "Now, Robert. Don't you start with the whole, 'He took my baby girl' thing you got goin' on all the time. Just listen—"

"Spit it out, woman! I ain't got all day!" He snaps, and then upon catching his hurtful tone, he briefly apologizes. "My bad, I— sorry."

Cookie's usually happy demeanor had quickly changed—she was hurt. She shakes her head slowly in complete disapproval. They say time heals everything, but in Robert's case, it didn't do or mean much. The wounds were still open, and as years passed, the only seemed to tear even more.

"He asked about the boys, brother," Cookie whispers, her eyes lingering across the produce section. She catches sight of Huey as he tackles his misbehaving brother to the ground, and both begin wrestling with each other. A crowd soon begins to form around the two struggling kids.

"I gave him your address—has he stopped by to visit them, yet?"

"You did _what_? Why?"

"Those boys fighting over there are his _sons_ whether you like it or not, you ol' fool." She points accusingly at the two boys still struggling on the floor. She was right—only kids from a madman like Huey Rivers would act like little punks in public. But it means nothing to Robert. Huey was never around to raise his two sons. Why should Robert care?

"Excuse me?" Robert scoffs at such an idea. "Who took care of those little fools for the past—I don't know—seven years? _I_ did. And who—"

"He's dyin', Robert," Cookie's eyes still linger on a stack of potatoes near her shopping cart. Even without direct eye contact, Robert sees the expression in her eyes: complete and utter pain. "He's got —"

"Well, ain't that a darn shame!" Robert cuts off Cookie and pushes his cart forward, feeling it vibrate gently. The wheels are about to fall off. They screech in pain. And yet, none of those annoying sounds matter to him anymore. He didn't care what Huey Rivers was dying from. In his mind, he could see Jane dying in her excessively large hospital bed. Her dark skin formed around the natural curve of her bones and ribs—she was disappearing day by day. The cancer inside her body was eating her alive, and there was nothing Robert could do about it.

Robert was determined now. He had to leave his home in southern Chicago. There was no doubt about it. The grandkids had to be as far away from their father as possible. Who cares if Huey died and never met his only kids? Certainly not Granddad. Paying for a better home somewhere else would be hell, though. How would he accomplish it? And then, the realization quickly hits Granddad—his retirement money. The only possibly inheritance both Huey and Riley ever had a chance of obtaining after he died. But if he uses it all on a house thousands of miles away from Chicago, how would the boys ever pay for college?

Huey was smart enough to find his own way, and if he played his cards right, he could get a full paid scholarship. Riley, not the sharpest tool in the shed, probably didn't want to go to college. He couldn't even stand being in first and second grade. With this reasoning, Robert persuaded himself to use his money on a nice house in a fantastic neighborhood where Huey Rivers could never find his two kids.

_It's the right thing to do_, Robert reasons with himself. _I'm doin' everything right for the boys. Yeah, that's right. I'm doin' this for the boys._

Robert eventually abandons his cart still filled with food and walks aimlessly out the front doors of the grocery store. The parking lot is a hot, worthless abyss, and all Robert wants to do is go home.

In reality, he didn't want to come to terms with the real reason he was going to move out of Chicago. It was never about the safety of Huey and Riley. Robert was going to move because he didn't want to be left without his daughter, and those little punks _are_ fragments ofhis daughter. Her spirit lived within them, and when Huey or Riley talked, argued, or smiled, he saw Jane. Huey Rivers may have taken Jane, but he sure as hell wasn't going to let him take the last "pieces" he had left of her.

Stopping right before his car, Robert realizes something: he left his grand kids fighting in the produce section of the supermarket. He groans and heads back to the entrance of the store.

* * *

It took a total of three months to pack everything and leave southern Chicago. Robert never answered any of the questions and complaints his grand kids asked or made about their recent move.

To him, only one explanation was simple: "I've always wanted to live in a nice place!"

Huey or Riley, although young, always argued over this answer Robert would give them. They liked southern Chicago. They missed their friends and family. Why would their Granddad take them away from the only life they've ever come to know?

Truth is, Robert found out shortly before leaving Chicago that Rivers had died in his sleep. An overdose, they say. The medical examiners said the pain he felt was too great, and so, he committed suicide. With Rivers gone, there was no real urgency to move anymore, but Robert was still tired. Chicago held all the dead bodies of people he loved, and of course, he didn't want any family from the Rivers side to check up on his grandkids and tell them the news about their father, anyway.

But to Huey and Riley, both boys were completely oblivious to what had happened. Huey barely remembered his father's first name but did have a pretty good memory of his father's face. Riley, being so young at the time, remembers nothing. He doesn't even remember Jane. Years ago, when Riley would ask about his parents, Robert kept lying about Rivers. Riley wanted to know how _both_ of his parents died, but in reality, Rivers was in jail at the time. Well, Jane died of cancer, and somehow, it was just easier to explain to Riley that his dad was dead, too. Riley, never finding Robert's story suspicious, simply accepted the news. Huey, on the other hand, had always been suspicious but never said a word against his grandfather. Robert realized that by the time Huey had turned seven, he knew that "Freeman" wasn't his original last name, but some things are meant to stay a secret, after all. Huey, for whatever mysterious reason, never tried to tell Riley the truth.

Thus, Huey and Robert held some sort of secret and unspeakable pact with each other over this matter. And no one was brave enough to ever bring it up in casual conversation.

* * *

It's been ten years since Jane's engagement to Huey Rivers, and it's been seven years since her death. As Robert sits completely still on his bed, still holding the picture frame in his hand, he wonders what exactly his life has become since his daughter's death and the move from southern Chicago. His boys were growing up faster than he expected, and still, the pain over Jane's death had yet to fade.

Robert messes with the frame held between both of his hands, and finally, he looks down to see the picture within it. Jane smiles brightly, and her eyes glisten like little stars. She sits on the warm, summer grass of her favorite park back in Chicago, and her signature curls float carelessly in the air.

_Yes …_ Robert thinks to himself. _The boys look just like her …_

His heart sinks, and an ache builds within his chest. He is not sure if it is fear or anger he feels, but nonetheless, it is the worst sensation in the world. In fact, this feeling comes in second to losing one's daughter to cancer and a wife at an early age. His grandkids were growing up to be handsome men—of that, Robert was sure. They take after their mother, and he hopes to God they stay out of trouble. Robert was ashamed to think they would end up in jail like Rivers did. The truth is sad to admit, and even Robert understood it. He only had at least ten more years of life in him—time flew by faster than he could grasp it.

Those boys, whether they were trouble makers or not, gave Robert the strength he needed to keep living past whatever depression he feels. In fact, he often tells Huey and Riley he's looking for a woman to make him happy in his last cycle of life, but to him, it wasn't about wanting to find someone to be happy with. Robert just liked the chase and the drama of dating younger women. In reality, he knew he wasn't going to die alone and sad.

Suddenly, the smoke detectors go off. Huey and Riley must have been fighting a little too rough this time around.

"Dang it, boys!" Robert throws the frame back into its hidden spot under the beach towels in the second drawer. "Can't get no peace around here!"

He storms out from the quiet, undisturbed comfort of his bedroom and finally understands one thing: he may only have a few more years of life left in him, but he thanks God that he will be able to spend those final years with his two punk grandkids who are the offspring of a young, scumbag, semi-revolutionist, philosophical, untamable, and criminal son-in-law.

And truly, he couldn't be any happier.


End file.
